Today, European Foreign Affairs Ministers discussed the situation in the Middle East, including Lebanon and Palestine. In response, Agnes Bertrand Sanz, Oxfam Humanitarian Expert, said:
“Discussions without action are meaningless. We have seen this pattern before – talk, delay, repeat. And in the meantime, Israel continues to kill, wound and displace people. What is needed now – and has been for a long time – is the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
“What more evidence does the EU need? The reality is on the news and on our social media every day. If this is not enough to act, then this clause is decoration, nothing more.
“We have seen Israel’s blatant disregard for the rules of war, its killings of civilians and the bombings of hospitals and schools, its ongoing genocide in Gaza, the accelerating ethnic cleansing in the West Bank and the discriminatory Israeli death penalty law. The ceasefires in Lebanon and Gaza exist in name only. In Lebanon, Israel has killed thousands, while forcibly displacing more than a million people. A ten-day ceasefire, during which Israeli attacks have not stopped, will not allow people to rebuild their homes and lives.
“The evidence is hardly scarce. It is political will and pressure needed to break the current EU deadlock driven by some EU countries. If the EU cannot get there as a bloc, capitals should explore all options to suspend their engagement with Israel. Failing to do so is complicity.”
Notes to editors
Over 60+ organisations, including Oxfam, recently demanded a suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen proposed a number of measures in September including the suspension of the trade component of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. The EU states these measures remain on the table.
The EU is Israel’s biggest trading partner.
Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement states “Relations between the Parties, as well as all the provisions of the Agreement itself, shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles, which guides their internal and international policy and constitutes an essential element of this Agreement.” Israel’s well-documented violations of international humanitarian law and human rights, particularly in Gaza and the West Bank, violate Article 2.
The Israeli Knesset has approved a discriminatory death penalty law that effectively applies only to Palestinians. Judges are required to impose this sentence on certain charges, there is no opportunity to challenge the decision, and the death penalty must be carried out within 90 days.
On April 9, Israel's parliament approved 34 new settlements in the West Bank, despite them being illegal under international law and involving land grabbing and forced displacement of Palestinian communities.
More than 750 people have been killed in Gaza since the so-called "ceasefire"', without any consequences. Since October 2023, Israel has killed over 72,000 Palestinians in Gaza and over 1000 in the West Bank, incl. East Jerusalem.
Since March 2, Israel has launched a large-scale offensive in Lebanon, killing more than 2,000 people and wounding more than 6,000. 20% of the population has been forcibly displaced in Lebanon. Bridges, medical facilities and personnel, homes, and water infrastructure have been targeted and, in some cases, completely destroyed by Israel. Israel razed entire villages to the ground, while targeting emergency responders and decimating infrastructure essential for survival. The 10-day ceasefire, which started on April 17 will do little for the people who have been wounded, forcibly displaced and lived under ever-constant threat of Israeli drones and bombs. Israel continues to occupy parts of the south of Lebanon.
Almost all humanitarian aid supplies to Gaza by professional international NGOs have been blocked for more than a year. Currently, only one crossing is open for limited aid supplies and commercial access and the Israeli government is trying to permanently remove the registration of dozens of professional aid organizations.
Israel is seeking to ban aid groups in Gaza, including Oxfam, as they refuse to transfer sensitive personal data to a party at conflict as this would breach humanitarian principles, duty of care and data protection obligations in a context where more than 500 humanitarian workers have been killed since October 7, 2023.
Oxfam’s reaction to the 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon.
Contact information
Jade Tenwick | Brussels, Belgium | jade.tenwick@oxfam.org | mobile +32 473 56 22 60 | Personal (WhatsApp only) +32 484 81 22 94
For more information on our work and to see our latest press releases, please visit oxfam.org/eu.
For updates, follow us on Twitter, BlueSky and LinkedIn.
Over 60+ organisations, including Oxfam, recently demanded a suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen proposed a number of measures in September including the suspension of the trade component of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. The EU states these measures remain on the table.
The EU is Israel’s biggest trading partner.
Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement states “Relations between the Parties, as well as all the provisions of the Agreement itself, shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles, which guides their internal and international policy and constitutes an essential element of this Agreement.” Israel’s well-documented violations of international humanitarian law and human rights, particularly in Gaza and the West Bank, violate Article 2.
The Israeli Knesset has approved a discriminatory death penalty law that effectively applies only to Palestinians. Judges are required to impose this sentence on certain charges, there is no opportunity to challenge the decision, and the death penalty must be carried out within 90 days.
On April 9, Israel's parliament approved 34 new settlements in the West Bank, despite them being illegal under international law and involving land grabbing and forced displacement of Palestinian communities.
More than 750 people have been killed in Gaza since the so-called "ceasefire"', without any consequences. Since October 2023, Israel has killed over 72,000 Palestinians in Gaza and over 1000 in the West Bank, incl. East Jerusalem.
Since March 2, Israel has launched a large-scale offensive in Lebanon, killing more than 2,000 people and wounding more than 6,000. 20% of the population has been forcibly displaced in Lebanon. Bridges, medical facilities and personnel, homes, and water infrastructure have been targeted and, in some cases, completely destroyed by Israel. Israel razed entire villages to the ground, while targeting emergency responders and decimating infrastructure essential for survival. The 10-day ceasefire, which started on April 17 will do little for the people who have been wounded, forcibly displaced and lived under ever-constant threat of Israeli drones and bombs. Israel continues to occupy parts of the south of Lebanon.
Almost all humanitarian aid supplies to Gaza by professional international NGOs have been blocked for more than a year. Currently, only one crossing is open for limited aid supplies and commercial access and the Israeli government is trying to permanently remove the registration of dozens of professional aid organizations.
Israel is seeking to ban aid groups in Gaza, including Oxfam, as they refuse to transfer sensitive personal data to a party at conflict as this would breach humanitarian principles, duty of care and data protection obligations in a context where more than 500 humanitarian workers have been killed since October 7, 2023.
Oxfam’s reaction to the 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon.
Jade Tenwick | Brussels, Belgium | jade.tenwick@oxfam.org | mobile +32 473 56 22 60 | Personal (WhatsApp only) +32 484 81 22 94
For more information on our work and to see our latest press releases, please visit oxfam.org/eu.
For updates, follow us on Twitter, BlueSky and LinkedIn.